Practice Test Geeks(HERS) Certified Home Energy Rating System Rater Practice Test
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Energy Modeling and Analysis Flashcards

7 cards from real HERS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Energy Modeling and Analysis flashcards as text

  1. What is the RESNET-defined default internal gains assumption used in HERS energy modeling for occupancy?

    Answer: Standard occupancy is set at 0.5 + (CFA/100)^0.43 persons as defined in ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301

    ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301 specifies occupancy as 0.5 + (CFA/100)^0.43, ensuring larger homes have proportionally more occupants in the reference calculation.

  2. Which climate zone designation system is used by RESNET's ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301 standard for HERS energy modeling inputs?

    Answer: IECC climate zones (1-8 with moisture designations A, B, C)

    HERS ratings use IECC climate zones 1–8 with moisture designations (A=moist, B=dry, C=marine) as defined in the IECC and referenced by ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301.

  3. A home has a cathedral ceiling with R-30 insulation between rafters. How should this be entered differently from a standard attic assembly in most energy modeling software?

    Answer: Cathedral ceilings are entered as a roof/ceiling assembly without an attic air space, using the assembly R-value directly

    Cathedral ceilings lack an attic buffer zone, so they are entered as a direct roof/ceiling assembly with the actual installed R-value and no attic air space node.

  4. In HERS modeling, how is a home with a walkout basement partially below grade typically handled for foundation inputs?

    Answer: Above-grade portions are modeled as walls and below-grade portions as basement walls with appropriate soil contact fractions

    Software requires separate modeling of above-grade and below-grade wall fractions because heat loss rates differ significantly based on soil contact depth.

  5. What effect does increasing the number of bedrooms have on the Reference Home's water heating energy in HERS calculations?

    Answer: More bedrooms increase the assumed number of occupants, which increases hot water consumption in the Reference Home

    ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301 ties hot water usage to bedroom count as a proxy for occupancy, so the Reference Home's water heating load increases with bedroom count.

  6. A rater is modeling a home with a ground-source heat pump. Which COP value should be used in the energy model?

    Answer: The site-specific COP determined by ground loop entering water temperature and manufacturer performance data

    Ground-source heat pump performance varies with entering water temperature, so the model should use manufacturer performance data matched to the site's ground loop conditions.

  7. Which metric does energy modeling software use to quantify thermal bridging through wood-framed walls?

    Answer: Framing fraction combined with stud and cavity R-values to calculate an assembly U-factor

    Software calculates an assembly U-factor by combining the framing fraction (typically 0.25 for 16" o.c. framing), stud R-value, and cavity insulation R-value in a parallel-path calculation.